


Aftermath

by Hino



Category: Eddsworld - All Media Types
Genre: Edd is there too but since he's sleeping at that point I didn't bother to tag as a character, Gen, I wrote this in like 2016 and then forgot about it, Trace mentions of Tord
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-24
Updated: 2018-09-24
Packaged: 2019-07-16 10:36:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16084376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hino/pseuds/Hino
Summary: The memories don't leave that easy





	Aftermath

It had become uncomfortably common for him to wake up in the middle of the night, sweating and short of breath.

 

Tom could remember every detail with a terrible vividness. Even the murder of his father, as close and intense as it had been, had never clung to his mind quite like this. The worst part was that it seemed to be condensed, packing in the most painful, intense part of the memory.

The robot.  
The rocket.  
The harpoon.  
The aftermath.

It would swallow him all at once, and the sudden breath that he took to wake himself up was jarring, almost foreign. It snapped his senses into place, and left him frightened.

 

It took him twenty minutes to settle down enough to even create the idea of getting out of bed, and another ten to finally drag himself to his feet. The blanket came with him, wrapped around him like a little protective cloak. It was stupid, but Tom needed all the courage he could get. 

Quietly, he shuffled out of his room and across his small apartment to the front door. The DVD player beneath the TV read “3:30” which only served to make him grumble. Far too early to even think of bothering Edd or Matt with his problems.  
Didn’t stop him opening his apartment door and stepping out into the hallway, however.

 

The hall was cold and dark, with only the faded, golden light of a dying lightbulb at either end. It left puddles of darkness in corners and under the picture frames on the walls, giving the space an eerie look. Had Tom not been so uneasy to start with, he might have stopped to take in the unnatural sight. Instead, he trudged on through the dim glow, passing Matt’s apartment without a glance and stopping at Edd’s door.

It swung open easily. For some reason, the man never locked his door. Tom had berated him for it before, but the one time Edd remembered to do it, Matt ended up running face first into the wood and getting a blood nose.

“Just me,” Tom softly called as he closed the door behind him. The apartment was mostly dark, only illuminated by the vibrant but small pulsing glow of the television. He quietly padded over to the couch, prepared to settle down on it for the night. His plan was almost flawless, but as he got close enough to see past the television’s glare, he noticed the small bundle curled up, gently shaking.

 

“Matt?”

The ginger’s head snapped up at his name. In the dim light, Tom could see he’d been crying.   
“Matt, are you okay?”

“Oh. Y-Yeah.” He wiped at his face and peeled back the blankets slightly, revealing Edd’s curled up form. The man was draped over his left knee, snuggled in as close as he could. “Edd got upset earlier, and if he starts crying, then I start crying.”

Tom softly laughed. “Sounds like you.” He sat down beside Matt, shuffling closer until their shoulders touched. He didn’t like Matt that much, but with all they’d been through, he could deal with being that close, if only for a little while.

 

There was silence between them, broken only when Matt spoke up.  
“Nightmare?”

“Yeah,” Tom answered.

“Same.”

It was quiet again, but comfortable this time. Matt lifted his arm and Tom let himself snuggle into the man’s lap, finding a strange comfort in being so close to both him and Edd.

“You going back to sleep?” Tom found himself asking.

“In a minute,” Matt answered, letting his hand rest on Tom’s back. He gripped Tom’s shirt tightly, but the man couldn’t find it in himself to care. The presence of two friends was comforting, and he let it lull him into a sense of peace, with sleep following moments after.

The three slept easily for the rest of the night, and didn’t wake until late afternoon.


End file.
